Resin D'etre or What Can You Do With Spare Ceramic Tiles?

Good question!  Well, mine weren't exactly spare because I went to the home improvement store and bought some but this will work for anyone who has some ceramic tiles hanging around from a bath or kitchen renovation.

Flowers on Trellis

 Large Flower

Group of Hyacinths

Let me start from the beginning.  I have these alcohol inks that I bought some time ago.  If you've read any of my prior post, you'll know that I have all kinds of materials and supplies stashed away that I bought for no other reason than I might use them someday.  I think I bought the inks when I was in my card making phase but I'm not sure.  It could have been when I was in my let's try to dye polymer clay, or what can I dye with this phase.  Anyway, I had the inks and I stumbled on a video on You-Tube involving ceramic tiles and flaming alcohol inks.  I actually wrote another post about where I made a few pendants and a set of accent tiles.  If you're interested, you can read it here.  Burn The House Down!

This time I was going to make some ceramic tile coasters for my sister's birthday.  I actually tried to make the alcohol paintings look like something, instead of slopping the ink on and later deciding what shapes I saw.  I think I managed pretty well.  After the tiles were dry, I started with the resin.  For those of you that don't know, resin is extremely sticky!  It also requires precise measuring and mixing time to make it set right.

This is where the Resin D'etre comes in.  Alcohol inks will not stand up to hot, cold or wet environments.  I've done research looking for something that would make the inks impervious to their environment.  Pretty much the only thing I found was resin. I bought some Envirotex Jewelry Resin  The first time I used resin was for some ceramic pendants.  I was kind of nervous, since everything I read about resin indicated that it was difficult to use.  There was the whole precise measuring, then timed mixing and the pouring, oh the pouring!

Actually it wasn't that bad.  I measured out the resin in one of the little cups included in the kit.  Then I added the hardener.  One tip:   I marked the cups with a Sharpie to indicate the amount of each I needed.  You need equal part resin and hardener in order for the mixture to set right.

Then you have to stir it, and stir it, and stir it!  For at least two minutes.  You have to make sure that you stir and scrape the little cup, then stir and scrape some more.  After two minutes, you pour it into another little cup and stir and scrape  some more.  After another minute of additional  stirring, it's time to pour.

I was nervous at this stage.  I wasn't sure how much resin to pour on the pendant.  I had mixed up a total of 1 ounce of resin.  Would it be enough?  Would I have a half coated pendant?  It turns out it was more than enough.  It's a good thing I had a total of three pendants ready to go.  I used up all the resin I had mixed.

Now comes the really hard part.  I had read that you should put some kind of tape around the edges at the back of the piece.  That way any drips that you miss will come off with the tape.  Being an over-confident kind of gal, I figured I didn't need the tape.  I could just scrape any excess off, right?  Wrong!

I placed the pendants onto little inverted cups, so that any excess would drip off.  I had also lined the pan I was using with parchment paper.  So I poured away.  Resin immediately started to drip over the sides and collect underneath.  I was using one of the wooden stick included for stirring to scrape the drips but the pendants and the cups were so light that they kept getting away from me.  I did the best I could but the resin kept dripping and I kept wiping.  After the three pendants were coated, I set my timer for 25 minutes.  Although it says that the resin degasses itself, from all the bubbles I saw, I wasn't so sure.  By some miracle, I must have done everything right!  No bubbles and eventually the dripping stopped.

After 24 hours the resin had set but I had these big globs of resin on the underside of the pendants.  I sanded like mad, but never did remove all the globs of resin.  That's when my ingenuity (or desperation, if you like) kicked in.  I had some black leather that I had purchased for another project.  I cut circles to fit the pendants, glued them in place and problem solved!


Anemones Under The Sea Pendant 

Flower Garden Pendant 

Right now I'm working on a set of four ceramic tile coasters.  I feel more secure using the resin and I think that they are coming out beautifully.

In conclusion, like I've said before, if you want to try something new and out of your comfort zone, I say go for it.  You learn from every new endeavor, even if you fail.  Keep trying until you get it right!

Burn The House Down!

 Set of 3 Decorative Tiles

No, not really, but I have been playing with fire lately.  I found a video on You-Tube in which the author, a user called beetlewing, demonstrated how to use flame to intensify and change the manner in which alcohol inks react on ceramic tiles. Alcohol Inks Tutorial: Playing Wtih Fire  And since I've been playing with alcohol inks and various mediums lately, I decided to take a look.

His video is very good and he creates some wonderful pieces and since I  could only burn this particular  house down once, I decided I'd give it a go.  I found a wonderful ceramic artist who agreed to make me some glazed pendant blanks and I must insist  the blanks, tiles whatever, have to have a glaze on them, otherwise this technique won't work. Don't use any that say bisque fired.

 This particular ceramic artist's has a shop on Etsy called Pottery Heaven and while she doesn't normally sell pendant blanks, I contacted her on FaceBook and she agreed to make some for me.  Since I am naturally impatient when it comes to trying something new, I went to my local home improvement store and bought some 4.25 inch plain white ceramic square tiles, the kind you would use in a bathroom.

I already had the alcohol inks.  I don't know why I bought them in the first place, and I have used them on a few polymer clay pieces but they are so much more fun and work soooo much better on ceramic tiles!

Beetlewing on You-Tube used a cigarette lighter but I was afraid that using one would put my hand and clothing waaay to close to a live flame so I went out and bought a set of those lighters with the long nozzles that you use to light candles.  I used an old cookie sheet and I don't recommend baking cookies on it afterwards because mine is now covered with blobs and smears of dried alcohol ink and alcohol inks are pretty much permanent. 

I put the tile down on the cookie sheet, got out my alcohol inks and started squirting.  Let me say that alcohol inks dry really fast.  Luckily, newly applied alcohol inks can be removed from glazed ceramic tiles with rubbing alcohol.  I made lots of mistakes and had a lot of ugly tiles but finally I got my technique down pat.

I found that making sure the lighter was lit before applying the inks worked a lot better than trying to light the thing after the ink went down.  You should let each section of ink fully flame out before trying to apply more.  I couldn't figure out why one of my inks wasn't squirting out, until I looked at the bottle and realized that I had burned the tip closed!  I had to cut the tip and now it doesn't squirt out as fast as the others.  And here's a tip:  You can't really see the flame, the inks burn with an almost invisible blue flame.  So if you are going to try this, use caution and don't do it with little kids and/or pets around, especially cats or while wearing loose clothing!

I coated some of my pieces with resin (the first time I've ever used resin and that's a whole other story for another time).  

Here are a few more pieces I did.
Flower Garden Alcohol Ink and Resin Ceramic Pendant

 Anemones Under The Sea Alcohol Ink and Resin Ceramic Pendant

And these aren't quite ready.  They're still drying and I need to apply resin to them since they're destined to be a set of coaters.
I'm calling them Spring Garden since they are flower themed:

I recommend you try this technique.  It's fun!  Just don't burn the house down!

Countdown To Chirstmas Week 9 2015

This is week nine in Julie from Blue Morning Expressions Countdown To Christmas
 I haven't had time to blog about it before and now I see why.  Even though I chose only one item from each artist that posted, I've been at it a long time!

Let me explain, if you don't already know what the Countdown is.  Every week for 12 weeks Julie hosts a blog post where you can list three items that you have for sale.  It doesn't matter where you're selling them, as long as it's on line somewhere.  The only caveat is that you must promote each and every item that's posted.  You can do it on Face Book and/or Twitter but the most favored sites are the ones where you can post and display each of the items in a group, such as Pinterest or Wanelo. 

So here are my picks from this week's grouping.

Red Lamp Work Beads By Cover Girl Beads

 

Buffalo Nickel Pendant by Diane's Dangles

Treble Clef Cabochon Bracelet by The Singing Beader

Handknit Fingerless Gloves by Jazz It Up With Designs By Nancy

Chunky Turquoise Necklace by Shadow Dog Designs

 

Pink Hand Crocheted Little Girl's Dress by Cathy Creates

Fish In The Sea Desk or Shelf Clock by Kev's Krafts

Snow Guy Zippered Case by Sew Amazin

Tree of Life Pendant With Garnets by water colors N more

Candy Cane Christmas Jar Earrings by Kats All That

Minions Trapped In A Jar Necklace by Evez Beadz

Santa Claus Gift Tags by Adore By Nat

Christmas Bracelet by Pretty Gonzo

Bluie Green and Black Dichroic Glass Men's Cuff Links by Resetar Glass Art

Victorian Pearl Beaded Bracelet by Treasures of Jewels

Set of Six Red Mug Christmas Cards by Cards by Li Be!

Pink Rose LampWork Bead Earrings by Polymer Clay Beads

Grandma And Me Embroidered Apron Set by Simple Embroidery Sew

Crystal Sun Catcher by Solana Kai Designs

Red Wine Clusters on Pine Green Hand Crocheted Scarf by RSS Designs In Fiber

Week 4 of The Countdown To Mother's Day 2015 from Blue Morning Expressions

This is week 4 of Julie of Blue Morning Expressions
Countdown To Mother's Day Week 4

Pink flower lentil beads by Blue Morning Expressions

 
 The intent behind this countdown is to help promote handmade artisan from all venues.  The premise is that you may add three of your items for sale each week.  But YOU MUST promote every item in the current countdown, either on twitter, Face Book, Google, or the preferred venues Pinterest and Wanelo.  It's a lot of fun seeing what other artists are highlighting each week.

Paw Print Earrings by Shadow Dog Designs
 

Home Sweet Home Locket Necklace by Evezbeadz

These are just a few of the wonderful things that you will find on the Mother's Day Countdown.

The Flowers of Summer

Summer is the time of flowers.  They can be seen in sculptured gardens amidst well-manicured lawns and in riotous masses by the roadside.  In my yard I have black-eyed Susan's just coming into bloom and fragrant three foot phlox with its wonderful scent reminiscent of lilac.  I have lavender and chamomile with their blooms of purple, white and yellow sprinkled about my yards.

While Autumn is my favorite season, I can't help but be joyful when I look out on my beautiful garden with its cacophony of color like a symphony for the eyes.

I chose some wonderful florals from the Blogging Again Ring on FaceBook to feature in my ode to summer flowers.

Valerie's Stuff on Etsy is a prime example of abstract art mirroring life.  Her wonderful pieces are a riot of color, just like a summer garden.

Hand Painted Abstract Summer Purple Flowers by Valerie's Stuff

Hand Painted Flower In Full Bloom Pendant by Valerie's Stuff

While this piece is an obvious abstract, it reminds me of a flower.

Unique Mokume Pendant by Valerie's Stuff

These pieces by Pottery Heaven on Etsy also remind me of flowers.  Their subtle colors are soothing to the eye.
Ceramic Wine Glass Charm by Pottery Heaven

 

Ceramic and Glass Pendant by Pottery Heaven

 

Fantasy Clay Store on Etsy has some lovely and unique pieces.  I love her dragons but these floral pieces evoke the joy of a summer garden.

Purple Flower Pendant by Fantasy Clay Store

 

Art Nouveau Sculpted Flower Pin by Fantasy Clay Store

 Polymer Clay Face Magnet by Fantasy Clay Store

These little fabric covered stud earrings from TL Yarn Crafts on Etsy are understated, yet elegant.  Perfect for casual wear in the summer.

Fabric Button Earrings by TL Yarn Crafts 

I had to add a few on my own floral pieces, just to round out this post.  Wyvern Designs on Art Fire

Wyvern Designs on Etsy 

 Macrame and Hand Made Polymer Clay Beads by Wyvern Designs

Delicate Frosted Glass Look Flower Earrings by Wyvern Designs 

Bottle Cap Wool Felted Pincushion

A Little Bit Of Heaven -- Pottery Heaven On Etsy

As Wednesday rolls around again, I realize that I haven't done my post for the Blogging Again Ring.  We're a little group of 9 who have pledged to promote each other through our blogs.

This week the topic is to feature one of our fellow members on our blogs.  I've was intrigued by the work of Martina Morton of Pottery Heaven on Etsy'

Martina is from the Toledo, Ohio area.  She and her husband have 2 young boys who are currently the focus of her life.  To quote Martina, "Her boys are only young once, so I'm trying to make them my first priority."

She joined Etsy in 2009, after a friend told her about the site, where she makes and sells the most wonderful pottery items. Etsy turned out to be a match since her engagement, wedding and the birth of her first son, left little time for shows or spending extended periods in her studio.  The birth of her second son left her even less.   With Etsy, she can list her products and basically forget about them until they sell.

Despite a husband and two young children, Martina still strives to work in some creative time while caring for those she loves.

This is my personal favorite,  Black/Green MetallicGlazed Pendant With Celtic Knot Relief

 

Another of her creations is this  Adorable Honey Pot with Sculpted Bee Knob

I love these  Spoon Rests  They are simple in design but beautifully textured.

For your wedding, she has Unity Candle Holders

 

And last but not least, I found this wonderfully glazed Small Cobalt and Ash Bottle 

I highly recommend that you visit her shop and see all the gorgeous hand made pottery items.